Changing Loyalties
by girlpandagreenlime
Summary: AU Penny has had enough of her mother favouring her older sister Punzie and wants to make a new life for herself in the world she has never seen. Punzie of course will not allow Penny to go by herself, so the two embark on a grand adventure together, only to learn new things about themselves that may change the way they see things forever. Crossover with WIR and other Disney films.
1. Prologue

It was on a night of celebration that one of the greatest crimes in the kingdom of Sucrussia took place. While all the citizens of the land enjoyed each other's company, one man made his way carefully through a dark forest on the kingdom's edge, looking back every few minutes to ensure that the booming fireworks from the village weren't covering up the sounds of anybody that might have been following him, however unlikely it may have been. He had taken every precaution, donning a dark navy blue cloak that would make him difficult to see in his surroundings, and carrying one sword and one dagger at his waist. Even the bundle he clutched in an iron grip was wrapped in multiple layers of navy blue cloth, and though he walked quickly, he made sure not to lose his balance. He was carrying something of extreme importance, the very thing that Sucrussia was celebrating at that moment. It had to be delivered in prime condition. If not, it would be the end of his plan before it had even truly began.

Unfortunately, the man had never met the person he was bringing this package to, only communicating to him or her through one short, cryptic letter explaining the job he'd wanted done. Despite not knowing this man personally, the man knew this person was perfect for the job. He had to be in order to be one of the most talked about and despised criminals in the continent of Europe. Having only committed one crime thus far, most of the talk was around when he would strike next.

The response to his letter had been even shorter than what he'd sent, only giving even more difficultly encrypted words instructing him on how to get to the cabin he was approaching now. At one point in its life, the little one storey structure with a wrap-around porch might have looked inviting. Now uninhabited and rotting from the inside out, the only thing tempting about it was the idea of meeting the person inside who was going to help change the man's life forever. Adjusting the bundle so that he was cradling it in one arm, he took out his dagger in case things took a turn for the worse, and gave the bundle a once-over before going up the steps to the porch, and then opening the cabin's front door.

"You're late."

The criminal at the front door stood puzzled, wondering if he was hearing things. But within moments, the tall figure inside was directly in front of him, and he couldn't stop himself from blinking a couple times to ensure his eyes were adjusted enough to the light. But sure enough, as he blinked, nothing changed about the character. Hands still rested impatiently on a slim waist, and toes inside a heeled shoe tapped a rhythmic beat on the floor. The character was wearing a dark, full length cloak much like the man's, but the hood was pulled back, revealing long, lustrous curls that had helped the camouflage. Eyes like ash burned into the man's face until he finally choked out, "You're a woman."

"Such a charmer." The said woman's words came out dry and emotionless, but the confused man noticed a mocking gleam in her thin eyes. "What, you expected The Royal Abductor to be a big, burly man?" A sneer curdled the woman's pretty face, making her look malicious. One of her arms extended to the man in front of her, palm turned upwards expectantly as she spoke again. "Times are changing Mr. Turbo, but unfortunately for you, some things like payment, do not."

"Ah yes," Keeping his eyes trained on this mysterious woman, Turbo used his hand holding the dagger to get a hold on a felt bag tied to his belt. As soon as it was in the lady's grasp, her arm snapped back, and she poked her head inside, no doubt determining the amount inside was enough. Once satisfied, she nodded. "Alright, let's see what little treasure you've got for me."

Mr. Turbo immediately pulled back some of the navy cloths around the bundle cradled in his arm and again, the goods were inspected. In his arms, as fragile as a china doll, was a year old girl, soundless and motionless under the influence of the sleeping pills that had been slipped into her supper.

"Princess Penelope of Sucrussia," the woman breathed, staring down at the baby with clear desire.

"Destined to be the ruler of the land once her parents pass away," A dark chuckle emitted from Mr. Turbo's throat as he stared down at the child along with the lady. "But once this deal is done and I take care of them, I'll easily obtain the throne."

The deal-making woman tilted her head back and let out a hearty chuckle as well, but Mr. Turbo noticed that it sounded as though she was laughing _at_ him, not with him. "Typical men. Always eager to rule the world." But then her happy, mocking tone was gone, and she was looking at him with that burning ash glare again. "You're certain that nobody knows of this arrangement?"

Mr. Turbo nodded once. "I have burned your letter and scattered its ashes to the high winds, and anybody I talked to with information regarding you has been eliminated. Everyone suspects it is due to plague. We should be safe."

The woman turned her nose up at him, as though she was slightly doubtful, but Mr. Turbo held her gaze firmly and so she said nothing. Finally she reached out and accepted the abducted child, and indicated to her with her head. "I shall remind you now that after we leave here tonight, I will not respond to any contact you try to make with me. You may search for me, but part of my reputation is due to the fact that those who try do not succeed. So, keeping that in mind, remind me once more what your terms are regarding young Penelope."

Mr. Turbo answered almost immediately after hearing the question, knowing exactly what he wanted to say after months of planning and deciding how best to deal with the child. "I do not care whether she lives or not, so long as she does not remember her position in Sucrussia and the people do not recognize her. Her young age combined with the spell I performed on her before coming here should make her mind a blank slate. I grant you full permission to create a new life for this child if you please. That is all."

"Very well," The Royal Abductor walked past Mr. Turbo with the child and her money, clearly thinking their business was over. "Then I shall bid you adieu. It was a delight working with you." With that, she had walked down the porch steps and into the forest just as Mr. Turbo had, her cloak allowing her to melt into the darkness almost instantly. Momentarily Mr. Turbo considered following her, but then remembered her words to him and decided against it, instead turning to follow his own footsteps back to the kingdom. The sound of fireworks could no longer be heard, but he was sure people were still planning on celebrating long into the night. And that was fine with him. Because when tomorrow came, their celebrating would turn into a sorrow that would last for years.


	2. Chapter 1: Fight for Control

**HELLO EVERYBODY! I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT PUTTING AN AUTHOR'S NOTE IN THE PROLOGUE. TO BE HONEST, I SORT OF FORGOT ABOUT IT, LOL. BUT HERE'S ONE FOR THIS CHAPTER, AND I WON'T FORGET ABOUT THE OTHERS FOLLOWING THIS.**

**THIS IS A CROSSOVER BETWEEN WRECK-IT-RALPH AND TANGLED (OBVIOUSLY) BUT I ALSO PLAN ON INCLUDING CHARACTERS FROM BRAVE AND PERHAPS OTHER DISNEY MOVIES. (WE WILL HAVE TO SEE) THE SETTING IS MEDIEVAL TIMES, SO THERE ARE A LOT OF KINGDOMS, NO VIDEO GAMES. THE IDEA FOR THIS STORY CAME TO ME ONLY A WEEK AGO AFTER WATCHING A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE WITH VANELLOPE AND GOTHEL, AND I REALLY WANTED TO DO IT. SO IT STARTED FORMING, AND NOW HERE IT IS! I CAN'T GUARANTEE A LOT OF QUICK UPDATES, BUT I'LL DO WHAT I CAN. I REALLY HOPE THE READERS ENJOY IT; I ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY WHO READS IT TO REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. I LOVE FEEDBACK, SO LONG AS IT'S KINDLY WRITTEN. (NO FLAMES!)**

**SO WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, I WILL GIVE YOU THE DISCLAIMER (I DON'T OWN WRECK IT RALPH, TANGLED, OR ANY OTHER DISNEY MOVIES I MAY BRING INTO THIS TALE) AND WISH YOU HAPPY READING WITH ANOTHER ENCOURAGEMENT TO REVIEW. THANK YOU!**

Chapter 1

11 years later…

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY PUNZIE!"

Penny G. bounded to her sister's bed and pounced on top of her. Normally she enjoyed sleeping in until at least noon, but now she bubbled with more energy than she normally did the other 364 days in the year, despite the fact it was six in the morning. As she landed and rolled on top of the birthday girl, her grin only widened when said girl let out a loud groan and pulled her blankets overtop of her head, desperately trying to block out Penny. Penny would have none of this, yanking the blankets away and tossing them off the side of the bed to the floor. "Punzie, get _up_!"

"Is this any way to treat a birthday girl?" was the grumbled response, but Penny knew her sister wasn't really cross with her. As much as she tried sometimes, Punzie could never get angry at her little sister for very long. Instead, Penny expected a major non-stop tickling session and maybe a noogie or two but she didn't have a problem with those types of punishments.

Mere minutes had passed, but already Penny was running out of patience, rocking back and forth so hard that the bed was moving as well. She had a long list of things she wanted to do with her sister, and if they didn't get started, they wouldn't get all of them done by the time the day was done. She decided to try enticing Punzie with Thing Number One. "Aw, come on Birthday Brat. How am I supposed to give you your birthday present if you don't get up?"

The comment had the desired effect. In a blink of her eyes, she saw Punzie upright, running her hands through her hair to get rid of any bed-head. The motion seemed pointless to Penny, as she could not remember a time when she'd seen her sister's hair get even the tiniest bit frizzy. It was sleek, and always seemed to glow as though her sister's personality irradiated it, unlike Penny's coarse locks, which never ceased to remind her of old tires.

After demanding that Punzie close her eyes and pinkie promise not to open them until ordered, Penny dove under her own bed and start throwing random junk that had called the place home out in her search for the gift. Punzie sat cross-legged on top of her covers, now wide awake and feeling playful. "It's not a can of Boyfriend Repellent, is it?"

"Oh please," Penny scoffed, pulling her head out and shooting Punzie an exasperated glance reserved only for retorts, both playful and not. "You and I both know that you don't need anything like that when _I'm_ around."

Crawling under the bed again, she continued to throw sarcastic comments back at her sister while continuing her search. Finally her hand wrapped around something it recognized, just as Punzie asked, "Well, could it be a half dragon, half dog?"

"Now you're just making stuff up." Penny triumphantly army-crawled out of the tight spot, and stood up, giving herself a vigorous shake to remove the dust bunnies before jumping up beside Punzie and placing the gift in her open hands. "Okay, you can look now."

Punzie obeyed, and as soon as her eyes lay on the masterpiece in her hands, she teared up. "Oh Penny."

Penny may not have been as artistic as her older sister, but she had put in many late nights to put together something that would make any other twelve-year-old proud. It was made of paper like a card, but flat, instead of folded. Penny had taken an extra-large piece out of her sister's sketch pad, and on it, she had painted the two of them doing activities they had read about in the books they liked to read together. It wasn't a Michelangelo original, but at least one could tell who was who. The writing in the top corner was a general salutation, but on the bottom of the page, she had hand-written, "One day we'll have our own adventures together."

Punzie looked like she could barely breathe. "Penny," she finally gasped out. "This is wonderful. Thank you."

Penny looked down at her own hands, which she'd subconsciously started rubbing together without realizing it. "You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

"Like it? It's incredible! How did you manage to get this put together without me seeing it?"

Penny let out a laugh and shuffled a bit on the bed. "A lot of late nights and the few hours in the day you left for the singing lessons with Mother."

"Is that what you were up to when I left? And to think I always thought you spent that time sulking on your bed wishing you could join. I still can't believe Mother told you that you were free to stop if you wanted."

"You break _one_ glass with a high-pitched note and instantly you're forbidden from singing again." Penny shrugged nonchalantly, and then continued. "Doesn't matter though. In my opinion, she did me a favor. I hated those lessons."

"You used my colors incredibly," Punzie mused, no longer interested in talking about singing. Her art-loving eyes had called her attention back to the present and now danced from spot to spot on the page, absorbing every single detail of the picture. "The yellow you used for my hair really compliments the colors of the dress, especially the purple." Suddenly she hesitated and her eyes broke away to meet Penny's. However, at some point when she was talking, Penny had turned on the bed, a wall in front of her face instead of her sister, making looking into her eyes impossible. "But…I thought I was out of lavender paint?"

Penny's eyes darted to Punzie, but then back again. They focussed quite intensely on her bare feet as though she expected them to do something incredible. All of her energy from earlier seemed to have been burned off, leaving just the shell of the little bullet behind. When she finally spoke, her words came out slow, and with hesitance, something she was not very experienced with. "You are."

"But…If that's the case, then what did you use to get this shade?"

"Err…" A sheepish grin inked its way onto Penny's face, and she started rubbing her hands together as though she was washing them under water only she could see. She still wouldn't look at Punzie when she asked, "You know those purple flowers on the bush we can see from the window?"

"Penny!" Punzie's jaw dropped. She was clearly shocked again, but this time it wasn't a good kind of shock. "You know Mother doesn't allow us outside! It's dangerous!"

Punzie and Penny resided in a tower located in a clearing surrounded by miles of dark pine forest. It was comfy, with a shared bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom at the very top, allowing them to do everything together. However, it was still four walls, a door locked from the outside, and an unbreakable glass window covered by a mother's spell. All of this was supposedly to keep the girls safe, but as a result, they were trapped in a pretty small space together, with absolutely no knowledge of what lay outside of their prison home.

Now Penny shrugged again, trying not to let her sister's disappointment shame her. She would not apologize for what she had done, no sir. Just thinking about it now, how glorious it had been to run around feeling cool moonlight on her face and thick grass on her feet, made her yearn to do it again. It was fun inside the castle, but after twelve years of waking up to the same old surroundings, she was getting bored. One can only read the same books, play the same board games, and put together the same puzzles so many times before one desires to try new things. Outside, with much more freedom and space to roam, she had discovered her true passion. "If she doesn't want us outside, she shouldn't make it so hard to pick the tower door's lock. Besides, she goes outside all the time, and nothing ever happens to her. So why can't we? I mean, come on Punzie, I didn't die out there."

Frozen, Punzie was still gaping at her in that appalled way, so Penny tried to excuse her actions again. "Oh come on! It's not like I left the clearing. I didn't even go into the woods. " When even that didn't get a response, Penny grabbed her hands from underneath the picture, now forgotten by both. "Punzie, you don't understand. When I was out there, I could do anything I wanted to. There's absolutely NO limitations. I ran as fast as I wanted without worrying about crashing into or breaking things. I didn't have to stop until I was blue in the face and panting for air, and it was _marvellous_." She was getting breathless just talking about her experiences. "I want to be able to run. I'm going to get out again at some point, and next time, you should come with me. Consider it another birthday present."

Finally Punzie let out a long sigh. When she spoke, her voice shook, despite her efforts to look cold and emotionless. "Honestly, sometimes it's like I don't even know you."

This was the longest Punzie had ever been angry at Penny for. Normally a quick smile and some reassuring words were enough to make Punzie relent. The fact that it wasn't working now was horrifying, but rather than showing it by recoiling at the harsh words, Penny jabbed her index finger at Punzie's chest and spat out the first words that came to mind. It was both an offense, and a defense. "No, you do know me, and I know you Punzie. Better than you might think."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on Punzie, I'm not the only one of us who dreams of what it's like out there." At Penny's accusation, it was Punzie's turn to blush and turn away. That didn't stop Penny from continuing her raging rant. "I see how sucked into the stories you read. I see how you stare out the window when you think I'm asleep. You want to get out of here too, even if only for a little while. So let's do it!"

Punzie opened her mouth, but before anything could come out, the sound of flesh striking wood interrupted her, immediately followed by a new voice, singing its words cheerfully. "Do I hear my little darling up and about?"

Penny rolled her eyes skyward as she and Punzie looked to the voice's location: behind their room's door. The knob wiggled back and forth until a metallic click could be heard. Then the door swung open, revealing their surprise visitor.

"Happy birthday my perfect angel!" In swooped their mother, Gothel, who immediately scooped Punzie up in her arms and enveloped her in a smothering embrace. Penny sat excluded, a sour glare directed at the sight in front of her. The entire scene was a confirmation that the use of the singular form of the word 'darling' was intentional, not something she had misheard. For more than a decade, Punzie's birthday had been fun when Penny and Punzie were together. But as soon as their mother got involved, it became worse than any ordinary day for Penny.

Though she never said it outright, Gothel had never ceased to make it clear to Penny that she was not loved. Whenever it was brought up between the sisters, Punzie would adamantly deny the claim, stating both of them were loved equally. But everything else in Penny's life told her otherwise.

Gothel stepped back, keeping her hands resting on Punzie's shoulders so she could get a good look at her. She clicked her tongue once in admiration. "Oh Punzie," she crooned, "look what a beautiful woman you're growing up to be. Anything you want today, just let me know. I've already got a pot of hazelnut soup on the go for later."

"Thank you Mother," Punzie was smiling again, though Penny noticed it wasn't wide and tooth-bearing like the ones she'd had on earlier, and it didn't reach her eyes. Penny's empty stomach started churning uncomfortably, and bile rose up in her throat. However, she shoved it down with everything she had. She didn't need other emotions that she shouldn't have felt tampering with her bitterness. Of course she hadn't meant to make her sister upset on her birthday. But she shouldn't have felt bad about being honest.

As part of trying to stay firm Penny continued to glare at the affectionate display in front of her. As the seconds ticked by, she heard her mind begin to whisper the nasty words that she found herself thinking every year on Punzie's birthday, and sometimes on other days as well. _"I don't know why you bother thanking her, Punzie. The compliments, gifts, and undivided attention never end. Every day is a celebration of you for Gothel."_

And then suddenly both women in front of her had turned, and were staring straight at her. The room seemed to darken, and Penny knew before even registering their expressions that her words had not gone unheard. If they had, she would have continued to go unnoticed for the remainder of the day.

Punzie's mouth had dropped open again. Now her eyes were shiny, the first signs that she would start crying soon. Gothel had most likely completely forgotten Penny existed, and was no longer smiling proudly. Her mouth was a hard, straight line, and the way her eyes were narrowed, Penny felt like an icky bug that was about to get squashed.

Gothel then spoke, and her voice was cold and emotionless. "I should not be surprised that you act as though I've never given you anything in your life. You seem to easily forget it is because of me that you even _have_ a life. I'm assuming you haven't even wished your sister a happy birthday, you ingrate."

The insult bounced off Penny and left no mark. Her mother had used that term and worse ones still to describe her since she was an infant, and they had left their scars when she was small. Now she knew how to build up defenses around herself to stay strong and undeterred from her foster mother's words.

"As a matter of fact, I did before you came up. I even gave her a present," Gesturing to the picture that now lay abandoned on the bed, Penny mirrored Gothel's expression. She did not move from her spot on the bed, concentrating on ensuring she was not the one to break the eye contact between the two. She was successful, as Gothel broke it by looking where her index finger was indicating. But Gothel showed no signs of being uncomfortable, instead scoffing as she picked up the picture and held it up to get a better look.

"One day we'll have our own adventures together," she read with a false sweet tone. Her words were followed by laughter that Penny had no problem with believing was taunting. As the picture was lowered again, Gothel's face turned to Penny again. "And just where, pray tell, do you expect to have these adventures?"

Penny's curt response was immediate, already planned before Gothel had even asked that question that would have come eventually. "Outside. You have to let us out eventually."

Gothel leaned her head back and laughed again, a tittering sound that made the hair on the back of Penny's neck flare up. Her hands became balled fists, so tight that through her mounting anger she could feel her nails digging into the skin of her palms. Soon she would draw blood, but she would not feel it, just as she had not felt it the many times before. Instead, she just focussed all of her attention on Gothel, who had stopped laughing. Her expression was no longer light and mocking. Now it was cold and dark again. She spoke slowly and carefully so she could be heard clearly through her gritted teeth, one of the first signs that Gothel was losing her patience. "My dear, I am your mother, and as such, do not have to do anything you say. Rather, it is the opposite, and I say, you are not permitted to leave this tower."

"You are _not_ my mother," Even standing up on the bed Penny was a head smaller than Gothel, but that didn't stop her from speaking. She thought she heard Punzie say something, but with the blood starting to roar in her head, it came out as an indistinguishable murmur that was ignored. As she continued to speak, adrenaline pumped her words out faster and louder. "My mother died of plague in the forest with my father, leaving me to be snatched up by you! And I wish I'd died with them, because that would be more of a life than what you've '_provided'_ for me! You are nothing but a wicked, evil, _witch_ who swears you took me in out of mercy, but really only did it because you thought you could raise me to be a puppet! You've wanted to manipulate me from the day you got your ugly paws on me, but you've _never_ been able to, and I swear on the souls of my parents that _you never will_!" She never could keep up a cold and unfeeling attitude for as long as her foster mother, as she still found it impossible not to lower her invisible shield of defense and use her temper to throw vicious attacks like snake bites.

Despite the fact that her rant was causing the breath in her lungs to run out, Penny would have continued to shout out insults had it not been for the duo of voices that interrupted her then. "Penny, stop!" was heard first, and Penny's first thought was that must have been what Punzie had tried to tell her earlier, because now her voice sounded so desperate she must have tried hard to get through to her. Now that it was too late, Gothel was screaming, "SILENCE!" and a second afterwards, the slap came. The sound of flesh striking flesh was heard before the stinging sensation of the strike across her cheek. A stronger woman than she allowed herself to appear, Gothel sent Penny stumbling backwards. Tripping over her feet, she fell off the bed and onto the wooden floor, where the back of her head struck with a heavy cracking sound. Pain exploded in her entire head, and Penny let out a gasp as her vision turned into a red screen in front of her eyes. Much needed oxygen flowed into her lungs, only to be pushed out again as she struggled to catch her breath.

It had been a surprise at the moment it had happened, but afterwards, nothing about the slap was unknown. As a result, it was easy to force herself not to panic, so Penny's breathing gradually slowed down. Once the hyperventilation had died down to a heavy pant, Penny looked up and found she could see once again. Gothel was towering over her, staring down uncaringly again while Punzie cowered from behind. Her hands covered her nose and mouth, but there was nothing to block the sight of Penny from her widened eyes. Eyes the color of the grass Penny had ran in.

Penny refused to stay down while Gothel was glowering at her, and the reminder of what she wanted was enough of a boost to get her mentally talking herself through standing up again. Reminding herself that none of this was out of the norm for these sorts of occurrences, she ignored her cheek and instead placed a hand on the back of her head. Already a tender but large bump was forming, and when she drew her hand back to investigate, it was covered in sticky red blood.

Before she could get her bearings, Gothel had grabbed her other arm in a vice-like grip and started dragging her towards her own bed. Penny began kicking and wrenching herself left and right. However, Gothel was using her strength to her advantage again, and though she tried not to show it, such fierce movements were causing Penny's head to spin. In the end, she ended up thrown on her bed, where her mother produced a familiar set of shackles and chained her. Penny only took a second to look at them before glaring at Gothel again through her headache.

When Gothel spoke again, her teeth were still gritted. Her words again came out slow, but not out of impatience. Penny knew she was trying to shove all of her anger back in again. "Now, you are to stay here for the entire day. As punishment for your insolence, you shall get nothing to eat. And the next time I see you, I want to hear no more about going outside…from _both _of you." At this, she looked between the two girls, one who still looked fearful, and the other who was trying to maintain her strong defiance from earlier. "Is that clear?"

Penny said nothing, but Punzie, who was looking down at the floor despite not angering Gothel, muttered, "Yes Mother."

At the sound of her voice, Gothel smiled briefly. "See? Punzie understands my orders." Wrapping her arms around the beloved girl, Gothel fixed her calm stare on Penny. "Why can't you be more like her?"

"Because she's a Momma's girl. You turned her into a weak puppet who will listen to whatever you say, no matter how unreasonable it may be. It may work for her, but I don't want you in charge of my destiny."

Punzie recoiled as though she'd been slapped. Penny watched as more tears rolled down her cheeks and no move was made to wipe them away. Again, Penny made no move to apologize. She knew the truth, and had no problem telling it, even if Punzie was unwilling to accept it or be honest with herself.

"Now, don't listen to her Punzie," Gothel crooned, continuing to hold her close and now stroking her head. "None of what she's saying is true. Don't let her spoil your big day. Come downstairs. I'll fix you up something nice to eat, and then we'll spend the day together and have oodles of fun."

Punzie still was unable to speak, staring at Penny with a hurt expression. She seemed to be waiting for something, but all she got from Penny was a stone-cold glare and silence. So she nodded in agreement to her mother and allowed herself to be led out the door. Penny noticed that Gothel made a note to slam it especially hard before she heard the click of the lock sliding into place. She sat on the bed staring at her hands resting in her lap, one of them chained to the bedpost. The sun must have come up at some point during the argument, but she'd never know when, as big grey clouds covered the sky, keeping the world dark, suitable for the rest of the day. Winds that had pulled the clouds across the sky began beating against the tower, and now that she was alone, Penny could hear them eerily whispering to her as they flew around. _"Trapped. Unloved. Worthless." _The words became a repeated, never-ending cycle, and though Penny ripped her hands up and tried desperately to block them out, they still slipped through the cracks between her fingers. In her ears they crawled until they finally took root in her brain, where they were ever louder. It was horrific, but bearable until one single word was uttered that broke her:_ "Controlled." _

_ "No!"_ The word flew out of her lips in the form of a tortured scream, and in that instant, Penny felt as though her sanity was slipping away. But then the wind stopped its whispering, and everything was silent, as though Penny had frightened it away. Panting again, Penny turned her head to see if anybody was coming up to see if she was okay. She didn't know why she did so though, because as expected, nobody did.

Once confirmed, Penny twisted her chained wrist to inspect the familiar lock on the chain. This only took her a moment, and once she felt she'd looked at it long enough, she reached up into her hair with her unchained hand and pulled out one of the many colorful barrettes she had clipped in her hair. Holding it steady, she inserted the pointed end into the key hole and began jiggling it around with a newfound determination.

She may not have known a lot about different types of locks, but if the tower door was anything to go by, she would be out of the chains by that night, perhaps sooner.

Then she would prove to Gothel that _she_ was the one in control of herself.


	3. Chapter 2: Big Decisions

**HELLO EVERYBODY! I'D LIKE TO THANK MY READERS FOR THE SUPPORT. HERE IS CHAPTER 2! I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY IT. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

**I DON'T OWN WRECK IT RALPH OR TANGLED.**

Chapter 2

The rest of Punzie's birthday wasn't the same without Penny, though there was no way Punzie would let her mother know that. After being given a hearty breakfast she'd had to force a smile and act like she was having a good time. Truthfully, by the end of the day she could barely remember the details; her thoughts had constantly drifted back to her little sister locked up in the bedroom. Her mind was chained to the sight like Penny was chained to her bed.

It wasn't the first time Penny had been punished in that manner. She'd been a wild and reckless child from the day she'd been brought to the tower, growing more rebellious than a teenager starting puberty every day, and Gothel was a woman with very little patience. It was, however, the first time Punzie had been dragged into an argument like that.

At the time it had been completely unexpected, but now as Punzie ascended the tower stairs, plate of leftover cake in hand, she wondered if perhaps she should have seen it coming. Penny had gotten quite on the offensive when Punzie had scolded her. _"But still,"_ Punzie's mind reminded her, _"that was no reason to be called weak, or a puppet."_

Punzie would not deny the accusation of being a Momma's girl. But that was because she saw nothing wrong with that. In fact, from what she'd read and interpreted in books, listening to your parents was encouraged. It taught respect. Parents were the people who brought you up, so naturally seemed sensible that they would know best and should be listened to. So why was Penny so adamant in always fighting Mother? She always ended up the one that lost and suffered the consequences, yet instead of deterring her, every punishment seemed to be fuel for her fire.

Despite summer drawing near, it was a cold spring, so the world darkened quickly, making anything in the already dimly lit staircase almost impossible to see. This was the excuse used when the door appeared inches away from Punzie's face and she almost ran into it. Startled, she jumped back, but once the initial shock wore off, she gave her head a shake. Clear-headed, she again approached, but before grabbing her mother's key hanging from a silver chain around her neck, she hesitated, and carefully leaned her body against the door with her ear pressed to the smooth wood.

The grandfather clock in the room chose that moment to start its booming count to her irritation. She tried to listen past that, but it wasn't until the final, tenth gong that she got results that made her eyebrows crease. Positive she was hearing things, she pressed her ear harder to the door, but that didn't take away the sound of bare feet scuffling around the room.

"Penny?" Punzie barely whispered the name, and was answered by a sudden dead silence. Moments afterward a sound like little hammers being pounded on the floor could be heard, and she was unsure if it was her now racing heart, or the footsteps quickening. Her breathing turned into difficult to control panting as she pulled the room key off and slid it into the lock. When it turned, the inevitable click made her cringe, but she pushed herself forward. The doorknob twisted easily, and she found herself almost falling into the room as the door swung open.

Instead of being asleep at the late hour, Penny was pacing slowly beside her bed. She was muttering incomprehensibly under her breath to herself, not even looking up when Punzie entered. Punzie found herself impressed by the fact that while she was lost in thought, she was subconsciously remembering her body's limits so she wouldn't get yanked back uncomfortably by the chain. But then Punzie mentally scolded herself for feeling impressed, because that was only a stronger reminder of the numerous times Penny had been punished in this manner.

Swallowing once to get rid of the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat, Punzie spoke again. Her voice came out louder than before, but still quite soft, as though she were talking to somebody whose brain wasn't working properly. "Penny? What are you doing up? It's late."

Penny stopped walking and lifted her head up in Punzie's direction. Her eyes appeared hollow, like she'd just broken out of a daze, and she held her chained wrist in her other hand. "I couldn't sleep. The chain hurts."

Seeing her standing there looking like a lonesome puppy melted Punzie's heart and fears, and the whimpered confessions only made it worse. "Oh," she cooed, rushing up to the bed. The cake was set down so she could lift Penny up and sit her down on top of the thick comforter. Offering a small smile that she hoped looked reassuring instead of pitiful, she then sat herself down on a pile of lumpy pillows beside Penny. One arm stretched around her shoulders to pull her in close, and the other was used to reach for the treat. "Here. This might help."

Being so close to Punzie, Penny's body gave off heat like a radiator, but at the sight of junk food, her face produced a weakened smile, just as Punzie had known it would. It wasn't enough to take away the discomfort, but at least it was cheering her up a bit.

"Thanks." Penny reached up with both hands extended to grab the small plate. But before she could touch it, a metallic shifting was heard. An unnatural chill ran down Punzie's spine as she watched the shackle around Penny's wrist. It slid down her arm, only to break apart and completely fall off, landing hard in Penny's lap. While her wrist was white from being tightly held, there was no sign the skin had been rubbed raw, or any other signs of anything that could cause physical discomfort.

The plate of cake dropped from Punzie's grip and into a gooey mess, but nobody noticed or cared. Silence filled the room as Punzie and Penny both stared at the unlocked device before looking to meet each other's eyes. Punzie looked as though she had just witnessed Penny losing a hand, while Penny was scared and wide eyed for a different reason. She appeared to be waiting in anticipation for Punzie's reaction. When nothing happened, her eyes darted to the floor and she began mumbling, and though Punzie strained to hear, it was too rapid to be understood.

"Penny," Punzie was again trying to get her attention, but this time her gut told her it was much more urgent, though she had no idea what was going on. "Penny._ Talk to me_."

She reached out to shake Penny by the shoulders. At the contact, one of Penny's run-on sentences cut off short abruptly. She turned to stare at Punzie again, and the blonde was unable to hold back a gasp. No longer did Penny look like a puppy. Now, with a stony unrevealing expression and narrowed wild eyes, she seemed more like a wolf or wild dog.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to do this. But you weren't supposed to find out until tomorrow."

Though her sentences were directed towards Punzie, she couldn't help but feel like Penny was talking as much to herself as she was to her. The ominous tone was too dark to be heard from a child, and there was nothing to prevent Punzie from whispering, "Find out what?"

Punzie waited for Penny's response. At first there was nothing, and Punzie feared her sister would never speak again. Then, in a flash, a fist lunged directly toward her, with enough power to knock her out cold. With a shriek, Punzie's hands flew up to protect her face. They moved just in time to block the punch, leaving them throbbing. But Punzie had no time to stop and look at them, because as soon as Penny realized her first hit hadn't worked, her other fist was racing in for the kill. Now prepared for it, the blow was more easily blocked, and this time, as soon as Punzie felt the contact she took action. Her own hands folded closed around the deadly fists and held them in place in tight grips. Trapped, Penny started pushing forward, but Punzie was bigger and naturally stronger. By pushing back, she was able to force Penny on her back, though the child kicked and squirmed, groaning the entire time from the strain.

Penny had never lashed out at Punzie or Gothel violently before, and this made the encounter even more horrifying. With more desperation than she'd ever felt before, Punzie demanded, "Penny, why did you lie to me? Tell me what is going on _right now_!" She felt tears of fear rolling down her cheeks at the thought of what might possibly be possessing the innocent girl she had grown to love. Right then she couldn't recognize the beast in front of her with the wild look in its eyes.

"_I CAN'T_!" Spit from the wretched thing's mouth flew up and hit Punzie's face as it shouted. Its voice could have broken a window, but Punzie was so beyond belief at this point, she did not even make a move to wince.

"Why _not?"_

"_BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'LL TELL GOTHEL!"_

In the instant after the shrill declaration, Punzie's body froze up entirely, and she weakened. The thing took the opportunity to thrust up with its last bits of strength and tear away. Once free, she twisted her abdomen so Punzie was staring at her shoulder and held her fists up close to her chest protectively. Both of them panted to catch their breath watching each other cautiously. A flash of regret was caught in the burning hazel infernos in front of Punzie, allowing her to realize she was looking at no monster. This was just a child driven by insane desperation.

"You were trying to leave." It was not a question.

Penny made no move to deny or agree to the claim, just continuing to stare into Punzie's face.

"Wh…When would you come back?"

More silence was all that was needed to know the answer.

Betrayal stung like an angry wasp, and it was stronger even than what Punzie had felt that morning. Her heart and stomach started moving in opposite directions inside of her, one plummeting to her toes, the other rising up, making her feel as though she were about to lurch. Every inch of her felt uncomfortable. As she feebly shifted on the pillows, something poked her from inside a pillowcase. In acknowledgement of the pain, she stood up and picked up the source. But as she shook the case, instead of a goose-down pillow, food, (most of it was candy) utensils, and bathroom supplies tumbled out. In the next pillowcase she shook an entire wardrobe, each piece of clothing folded excruciatingly small for maximum space usage.

Punzie could barely breathe as she struggled to process everything she had seen thus far. How could Penny be so willing to pack up and leave everything behind? To leave _her _behind without even saying goodbye? "Penny…I know Mother's punishments can be a bit harsh, but-"

Penny was shaking her head before Punzie had even finished speaking. "It's not just that Punzie. There's more _things_ out there. Things to see, things to do, things to _explore_…I can't repeat myself for the rest of my life. It's getting _boring. _I didn't want to leave you, but we both remember how horribly it went when I said you could come to the grass around the tower. You've convinced yourself that what we've got here works for you. I figured there was no way I'd be able to convince you to leave and go God knows where."

There it was again: another implication that Punzie was weak. Not only that, she was being called a liar again too. Why couldn't Penny accept that she was perfectly satisfied listening to their mother and leaving the outside to her dreams?

She wouldn't deny it; she sometimes found herself daydreaming about what it would be like out there. The books she read described the outside as a majestic place, filled with adventure, surprises, and, the most beautiful word Punzie had ever heard, romance. But behind all of the wonder, another word was always present: danger. The only place she knew to be untouchable by this wicked force was the strong, immovable tower. So there was nothing wrong with staying where it was safe and letting the dreams _stay_ dreams.

"If you're bored, then we can get some more books," Punzie gently suggested, reaching forward to gently hold Penny's hand again. There had to be _something_ she could do or say to get Penny to drop her mission. "We can ask Mother in the morning…"

"Why?" Penny backed away from the open hand and tried to make herself impossible to touch by grabbing her warmest sweater and pulling it on over her head. As soon as her hands and head popped out of the proper spots, she pointed out the window, which looked like it had been covered in black paint from the night sky. "So she can continue to mock me by going _outside_ to get them while we're still stuck in here?"

Her first feeble attempt shot down, Punzie opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted again. "Besides, reading about something and actually doing it are two entirely different things. When we read, we're learning about someone else's experience. The book tells us what to feel. But when we actually get to try it, our own emotions take over, and they're stronger. It's incredible how special and empowering an experience can feel just because it's your own."

The pillowcases had started getting repacked while she spoke, but once she'd started describing trying new things, she'd stopped. Her hand, which was holding a draw string bag with contents that smelled of peppermints, froze above an open pillowcase. She was looking down into the bag, but the familiar dazed gleam in her eyes told Punzie she wasn't seeing it. It was recognized as the one she'd donned while talking about running.

If Penny had been speaking the way Punzie was used to hearing, with light humor and occasional name-calling thrown in that didn't mean anything, she wouldn't have thought much of what was going on. But her little sister was speaking with such seriousness, using words Punzie didn't even know that she knew. It made the speech seem genuine. For a moment, just one single moment, she found herself wondering what falling in love would feel like. But then the moment was gone, and she was back to thinking about Penny. Her speech was yet another out of character move that made Punzie realize Penny was serious about all of this. It wasn't just a dream for her. It was a deep, heart-felt yearning, the strongest Punzie had ever seen in the child. Though Punzie didn't know a lot about yearnings, she did know that they never left. That meant that this couldn't be stopped from happening.

"Where would you go?"

Penny's head bobbed up again, and the shine in her gaze dimmed away to nothing. Once returned to reality, she scrunched her face up in thought and eventually shrugged nonchalantly. "Wherever my feet lead me, I guess. I don't really know where to start. There's a lot out there."

If that was true, that meant there was also a lot of threats. Punzie felt sick just thinking about all the ways her sister's life could be endangered. Penny was only twelve, with no real knowledge of how to protect herself. It would be a suicide mission to try living alone in a universe she knew next to nothing about.

"I'm coming with you."

Penny stared in question as if unsure whether she'd heard right or not. She was utterly speechless for several seconds, and when Punzie didn't repeat herself, a single word drawled out, making her sound as if she'd been hit in the head or drugged. "Whaaaat?"

"I'm not letting you go out there alone," Tone firm, Punzie set her hands on her hips to show she meant business. The idea of losing her little sister, whether by her leaving and never coming back or meeting an untimely death was unacceptable. With a note explaining what was going on, Mother would be fine on her own. Penny would not. There must have been some unwritten rule that older sisters had to look after their younger siblings. Despite what she was about to do, Punzie was a rule follower.

Penny's stunned expression did not leave. "Are you serious?" she barely managed to squeak. Her eyes were close to popping out of their sockets and so wide that Punzie could see individual veins and arteries. It was such a sight that Punzie almost started laughing. But she didn't want Penny to think she was leading her on, so she bit her bottom lip and nodded.

The reaction was explosive. Penny's frozen muscles broke through the ice holding them in place, and she became a jumping, dancing, whirling twister. Hoots and hollers filled the room, echoing in every crevice. It made the entire tower seem like it was celebrating, and the excitement was infectious. Punzie could no longer hold in her laughter as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

Soon she was further involved, as Penny crashed into her like a truck and hugged her legs so hard it should have hurt. "Thank you," she could hear mumbled into the folds of her favorite dress.

Wrapping her own arms around Penny, Punzie pulled her in even closer. Stroking her ivory hair, she mumbled, "I love you Penny. Do you hear me? I'm never going to leave you. I promise you'll never be alone."

The only response was a tightened squeeze.


	4. Chapter 3: In the Moon-Lit Woods

**Here's Chapter 3 for all of my readers! I really hope that you guys like it; I haven't gotten much feedback, so I don't know what you think so far. I am imploring you, PLEASE leave me a review! I want to know!**

**As usual, I don't own Wreck It Ralph, Tangled, or any other Disney movies and characters that will appear in this story later. Now please enjoy!**

**Chapter 3**

_Mother,_

_I know by the time you read this you'll be in a panic because you'll see that we're long gone. I also know that you told us for years we weren't allowed to go outside. I want you to know that I wouldn't do this if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Penny's got a lot of ambitions Mother, and I couldn't stand staying home always wondering what was happening to her. I don't want you to worry; I promise I'll take good care of Penny. _

_I'm not sure if we're ever going to see you again, so I'll tell you again that I love you. It may not seem like it, but I really do. (I think Penny does too, but she didn't want to write anything.) I hope you enjoy the rest of your life. I think we're going to._

_All my love,_

_Punzie (and Penny too, even though she won't admit it)_

The note had been left on Punzie's pillow right before the sisters started off. Penny had scoffed when Punzie had insisted on writing it, stating she didn't want Gothel to have _ANY_ idea where she'd disappeared to. When Punzie suggested she write a few words of farewell, her response had been, "The only thing I want to tell that booger-faced witch is good riddance."

Punzie hadn't included that.

It had been extremely hard not to whisper, "I'm sorry," under her breath as they'd crept past Gothel's closed bedroom door. They tread as lightly as they could on the stone and wood floor, but each step felt heavy. Prayers that there weren't any loose boards eager to give them up ran like a mantra in their heads. Pillowcases slung over their shoulders like female Saint Nicks, they had remained arched on the tips of their toes as they located a lantern and then headed to the door.

As soon as they were on the opposite side of it, they'd taken off running in slippered feet that had never known the need for shoes. The tower stood in the center of a clearing entirely circled by thick forest. It was taller than even the biggest trees, allowing the girls to look past the forest from the window. But trees were all that could be seen, so that was where they had to start.

The softness of the grass underfoot was remarkable, reminding Punzie of her favorite comforter. Every step made her feel like it was trying to pull her feet down to rest, but would not allow herself to be tempted anymore. She continued to move so the clippings didn't have time to grip her tightly. Hearty laughter ahead suggested Penny was running for the sheer joy of it. It propelled her steps, bringing her farther ahead. She didn't appear to slow down until she reached a small opening in the wall of forest. Trailing ahead on the ground was a thin stretch of path that the girls had often watched their mother walk down. As the only path used, the trod on grass was jaundiced and dead. The same footprints covered every inch, some even partly covering others. Some sections of the path were so well used all of the grass had been ripped away leaving nothing but dry dirt and roots.

When Punzie had caught up, she took the moment to strike a match and light the lantern. The unnatural light from the flame illuminated Penny's face. When she grinned mischievously, she reminded Punzie of the stories she'd read about demons, and was unable to repress an entire body shudder.

"Whatsa matter Punzie?" Feigned innocence turned the words into a song Penny had no guilt in singing. "You're not scared already, are you?"

"Of course not. But stay on the road and don't go too far ahead. We don't know what could be lurking in these woods."

Penny rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say something more. But after receiving a disproving look from Punzie, her lips sealed. A silent command was given, and she obeyed with shoulders slouched.

Penny took the lead again with her head held high. Each step was a long, confident stride that Punzie found herself unwilling to match. It was incredible how much darker it became when there were trees blocking the moonlight above, and she was grateful for their lantern. She held it in front as a beacon to guide the way, and that allowed her to watch her elated sibling as she skipped. It was worth envying that Penny did not look as nervous as Punzie thought she should have been. Her head swivelled in all directions, eyes no doubt feasting on everything they lay on. Each tree got noticed as though they were all completely different treasures, and every time she heard an owl hoot or a rustle in a bush, giggles slipped easily from her lips.

The longer they walked without issue, the more Punzie's fear started getting left behind and she found she was beginning to enjoy herself as well. She marvelled at the tiny mushrooms and flowers that grew and bloomed in the tranquil darkness.

She was just about to comment on how nature could be so intelligent to make hundreds of unique species, when she suddenly crashed into Penny, who had stopped while she was lost in her admiring. Before Punzie could ask what was wrong, Penny shushed her and whispered, "Do you hear that?"

Penny never whispered. This was cause enough for Punzie to stop walking. She felt like a mother deer with a fawn as she stood still as a stone and listened. All of her energy was concentrated into her ears picking up every little noise.

Eventually a choir of wild singing and raucous laughter was detected up ahead. In the dark it was difficult to differentiate whether it was coming from on the path, or somewhere in the woods. It frightened her, as if those responsible were happy for all the wrong reasons. However, she had to stay calm, otherwise Penny would know something was wrong and get scared. Closing her eyes to block everything out, she focussed on inhaling and exhaling deeply using only her nose. When she was certain she was in control, she looked at Penny again and whispered with what she hoped sounded like certainty. "It'll be okay. We'll just stay quiet and keep on the path. Stay close to me."

It took Penny a second to nod, and Punzie took that as the right moment to grab hold of her hand. Penny didn't even complain as they started creeping down the path again.

The source of the noise soon became visible. Ahead of them, several feet to the left of the path, there was another clearing, significantly smaller than the one the tower was located in. In the center of it, a campfire blazed, sending sparks up the sky that burned out before reaching it. Surrounding the warm blaze were a troop of five men dressed in rags that barely concealed the ramshackle armor underneath. Some were sitting on logs and stumps, while others lounged on the grass, looking like they would have trouble getting up again. All were drinking out of tall glass bottles, and a collection of others littered the ground around them.

"Do you think they're friendly?" Penny whispered, and Punzie's grip on her hand tightened.

"I don't know Penny."

Both seemed to hold their breath as they continued walking past, and Punzie found familiar prayers ringing in her head for the second time that night. _"Please don't hear us, please don't hear us, please don't—"_

"Well! Just what do we have here?"

Punzie felt like she'd been covered in ice. She felt Penny's second hand grabbing onto her and willed herself not to panic. Slowly breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, she spun themselves around. A polite smile of acknowledgement was forced upon her face, and she struggled to speak normally.

"Good evening gentlemen," she called over, trying to sound as prim as she could. "Lovely night, isn't it?"

"Not as lovely as what I'm looking at right now, Sunshine." The heftiest out of all the men called out. His words came out slurred and slow, and Punzie continued to freeze. In their state, she wasn't sure if the other men could understand what had been said. Nevertheless, they all erupted in harder laughter that caused a nearby bird to take flight and sleep elsewhere. Punzie wished she could go with that bird.

The man who had spoken got up off his stump, and Punzie realized he wasn't just thick and muscular: he was tall. From where he stood it was easy to see he towered over the girls just like the trees. He started to approach, and before his feet even touched the path, she could smell the alcohol on him. But there was something darker than wine there as well. The woods could not mask the stench of blood on his breath.

"Well, what are two beautiful ladies such as yourself doing out so late at night?" Standing directly in front of them, he sounded slimy, like a worm. His friends trailed slowly behind him, making Punzie wonder if perhaps he was their leader. She tried to continue standing tall to look fearless in front of them, but when his hand came up to lift some strands of her hair sitting on her shoulder, her body intuitively cringed away.

"We just thought we'd take a stroll. But we're going home now."

Her body started to twist as she turned, more than ready to get going and leave the filthy men with their roaming eyes and slippery sneers behind. But before she could get her feet working, the leader had dropped her hair and had his hand on her shoulder. His grip wasn't tight, but it was enough to prevent her from going.

"There aren't any homes for miles, and it's so late. Come over here, get yourselves warmed up."

His words were friendly enough, and the fire he was gesturing to still looked hot and inviting. But his tone sounded just a little too tempting, and the dark chuckles that could be heard behind him kept her remembering why she was uncomfortable. "Oh, no thank you. We're fine."

Again she turned to leave, but suddenly the grip on her shoulder became painfully tight and she dropped her makeshift bag. This time she did not tell her body to turn, the action was forced. She was pulled so close to the man's face their noses were almost touching, and she could see his black eyes were really just a very dark brown. Now the smell was so bad that if her brain wasn't making her so alert, she would have passed out.

The sneer in front of her widened, and just by doing so became much more sinister. "Oh Sunshine. I'm afraid you don't understand. That wasn't an invitation. That was an order."

Punzie was ripped away from Penny before she could even start screaming. Even when her throat was working again, her captor didn't even try to silence her, and that was enough for her to know in her state, that nobody would hear them. He ignored her terrified screams, but every time she saw his face, his grin was just a bit wider, and his eyes shone with a bit more greed. He was enjoying every minute of this.

Thrown to the ground on her back, Punzie continued to fight, but she may as well have been swatting at flies. Her arms were pinned up above her head and tied together at the wrists, and her legs were just as immobilized because she was instantly kneeled upon. Through the pain, she tried screaming for Penny. Twisting her head to where she'd last seen her sister, she was horrified to see the other men pouncing on top of her, and some of them were brandishing weapons that she hadn't seen before then. Her pillowcase had been ripped away from her and tossed by one of the men. Its contents lay spilt in the grass, forgotten. In all of the commotion, she couldn't see Penny, and at first she feared that her sister was unconscious, or worse. But then she heard another high-pitched scream, followed by fragments of sentences. Caught words like, "….pigs…scratch your eyes out…get your filthy hands off or I'll…" told Punzie that she was still fighting.

She didn't have much time to watch though, because her head was again jerked to stare up into lustful eyes. Sharp metal was gently pressed against the skin on her neck, but not hard enough for blood to roll down like the tears on her face. She wished she had thought to use the pillowcase as a weapon or had forced her legs to work so she could run away. She was already failing her duty to Penny, and a single night hadn't even gone by.

"Don't you cry, Sunshine," A hand running from her leg up to her thigh turned an anguished scream into a sob that caught in her throat and choked her. "Just keep real still, and we'll go nice and slow. You and that sugar plum are in real good hands."

His words ended with dark laughter, and Punzie closed her eyes as she tried to force down another sob. She didn't know what was going to happen; all she knew was she didn't want to see it. She took a deep breath in…

And suddenly there was the sound of someone sucking in a large mouthful of air, and the pressure on her legs was gone.

Keeping her eyes shut tight, she heard the other men calling out drunkenly, but that was quickly replaced with more gasping, and the sounds of things being thrown and colliding into something hard. She kept her eyes closed as the gasps developed into odd gurgling sounds. At first she thought they were choking on the alcohol they'd consumed, but there was a darker undertone to the sound that told her that wasn't the case at all. Still not wanting to see what was happening, she kept her eyes squeezed shut until the noise all stopped. The eerie silence only lasted a moment though, as Penny's voice was soon hollering hysterically above her. "Punzie! Oh God, Punzie!"

In a matter of seconds, Punzie felt small hands struggling to rip the cord binding her wrists away. Once freed her arm was then wrenched up with all of the strength a small child could use. Lying immobile on the ground, Punzie was dead weight, but gradually she pushed herself up with the force, and once sitting upright, she was tackled and wrapped in a desperate embrace. She didn't need to see to know Penny was quaking. Grabbing onto Penny and pulling her close to her chest, she started caressing her hair. In an attempt to get her mouth working again, she tried to say her name, but before she could get it out, she caught Penny whispering again. Whether it was directed towards her or not Punzie couldn't tell. "Don't look," she kept repeating, and her grip on Punzie grew each time the sentence was finished.

Something was clearly wrong, and not just because of what had happened. To find out what, there was no way around it. She had to open her eyes.

Punzie regretted it the moment her eyes hit the sight in front of her. Every single one of the men in the group was back against a tree. Their own eyes were open, but unblinking. In fact, their entire faces were locked in a permanent expression of shock and fear. Finally Punzie knew why she had heard the odd gargling earlier as well, and wished she hadn't. The men's mouths were open black holes, but the color red stained their bottom lips. It wasn't the burgundy red of wine and alcohol like she wanted it to be; it was too black-red. It looked like it was drying now, but it must have run down their chins and necks as they drowned in it. She could even see it darkening their clothes, but just by looking at them she knew that blood hadn't come from their mouths. It had come from what was preventing their bodies from moving away from the trees.

Each body had been penetrated with something. The weapons were all the same, but she couldn't tell what they were at first glance. The ends sticking out looked like thick rod shaped crystals sticking out of their chests. But there was something off about them. They shimmered and shone, but there was something almost damp about them. It was only when she saw a drop of water form and drip down from it that she realized it was ice.

Someone had thrown ice daggers at them, so forcefully that it had led to the ending of their lives. But where was this person?

She hadn't even realized that she'd started screaming again until the horrific scene before her was blocked by someone new, kneeling in front of the two sisters with her hands up, palms facing them. Lips were moving, but the words were soundless and impossible to understand. Punzie's head was starting to swim as she took in the sight before her.

It was a woman, and everything about her screamed ice. Her big blue eyes were the perfect shade of pure water, and the way they were narrowed at her made Punzie feel as though she was the one being stabbed with the frozen dagger. Her skin was pale, and her hair was white, falling down one shoulder in a French braid that reminded Punzie of a snow drift. Judging by the elegant gown she donned and the attached train that trailed behind her, her hair must have once looked smooth and perfect. Now her bangs fell down and framed her face, and tiny pieces of hair from the braid were sticking out in all directions, as though it had been jostled and tossed around. The accelerated rise and fall of her chest along with everything else normally would have made Punzie think she'd ran to get there. But the only thing she could think about was the fact that this person had somehow murdered five men.

One of the woman's arms extended towards her, and Punzie reacted by slapping it away with another inhumane scream. Instead of hitting the woman's hand, she struck the woman's arm, concealed under a long sleeve. Instead of feeling soft, warm fabric, it was cool, and sleek. It should have felt like silk, but it was too cold, and it was shimmering too much like the murder weapons. As impossible as it should have been, this woman was _wearing_ ice.

Her hand snapped back like a snake after striking, and suddenly Penny was pulled down again as Punzie's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell backwards, her vision black again, this time without her consent.


End file.
